Umm Al-Qura University organized a virtual (remote) greeting ceremony for its employees the past two days (the 8th and 9th of the current month of Shawwal) in which more than 6000 academic staff members, administrative employees, and male and female students participated.

The virtual greeting ceremony took place under the auspices of His Excellency the UQU President, Prof. Abdullah Bafail. During the meeting, Prof. Bafail extended congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Muhammad bin Salman (may Allah safeguard them), as well as the employees of the university on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr. He also expressed his appreciation for the efforts they made in disseminating knowledge through the distance electronic platforms, which they exerted during the suspension of the study with the aim of protecting the health of the students and the academic members from the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The ceremony's events included messages of congratulations and greetings from the university’s affiliates, college deans, and employees on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr. During the ceremony, the attendees watched various artistic performances.

The following day, the female section held a celebration that witnessed the participation of the Vice President for Female Student Affairs, Dr. Sarah Al-Khouli. During the ceremony, she extended her greetings to the vice deans of the different deanships and colleges, as well as the academic staff members, employees, and students.

Furthermore, during the virtual ceremony, Dr. Sarah Al-Khouli remarked that the social distancing imposed by the pandemic resulted in the complete transformation of the process of work performance and distance education, in order to carry out the national duty and shoulder the social responsibility. Last but not least, the greeting program was keen to highlight the feelings of the scholarship students on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr during their stay in the Saudi Kingdom. The events of the ceremony also embodied the manifestations of the feast in the past, through statements and messages transmitted by the staff to revive some of the old Meccan traditions related to welcoming the well-wishers on the advent of the feast.